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Learning Outcomes

Follow the development of ideas attempting to unravel the complexities of the natural world, from the deterministic universe to chaotic systems.

Understand how human communication has evolved into today's global networks and the information superhighway.

Relate the brain, the mind and consciousness to complex artificial entities and networks.

Brief description

This module reviews the factors responsible for the recent global information explosion, funnelled through the world wide communications network, and includes an introduction to planning and the business environment. Against this backcloth the new science of Chaos is finding applications: from understanding the spread of disease, to modelling the dynamics of the Stock Market and replicating the topology of the snow flake. Communication and Chaos are the twin driving forces of intelligent life where they are finding a new foothold in meeting the challenge of putting consciousness into the arena. Much is known about the electricity in the mind but practically nothing about how this supports awareness and personal identity.

Content

Communication:

History of Telecommunications
Pre-electronic communications
Telegraphy and Telephony
Radio and digital signals
The Internet
Information Storage
Electronic Processing
Secret Communication

Chaos:

Before Chaos
What is Chaos?
Examples of Chaos
Dynamics and Stability
Fractals

Consciousness:

What is consciousness?
Enabling technology for a scientific description of consciousness
Sceintific revolutions affecting human consciousness
Geography of the human brain
Psychology or information transfer?
Artificial intelligence
The future

Transferable skills

Introductory skills for using the Internet and other electronic sources of information